


Non-Garbage Person Food

by SirFrankieCrisp



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: M/M, Pining, Post-Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 21:57:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11745978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirFrankieCrisp/pseuds/SirFrankieCrisp
Summary: "It's weird, but isn't everything weird? Always? Didn't Jared just casually mention his foster parents having a meth lab?"Jared makes Richard dinner.





	Non-Garbage Person Food

"Wow- ah, Jared, this is," Richard's eyes widened to saucers as he gestured wildly over the scene. "This is a lot."

Jared had just finished setting the last of the silverware onto the table when he looks up to find Richard standing in the doorway. The kitchen of the hostel never looked so soothing. The lights were half on, just illuminating the table which had somehow magically acquired placemats. A bowl with bread artfully wrapped in a towel sits between two settings, causing Richard to look around nervously.

"Are you ah- expecting someone? I didn't see Dinesh and Gilfoyle, did you ask them to clear the fuck out or something? I can totally go, if you need some space? Or just go to my room and you can let me know when you're all-"

"Richard," Jared cuts him off mildly, "I didn't want to interrupt you, so I apologize for doing so. I asked Dinesh and Gilfoyle to keep busy for the evening and I was hoping very much that you'd actually join me? For dinner?" His eyes are warm and pleading, but his wringing hands belie his inner tempest. Richard stands shocked, searching his mind for something, anything to reply with because with every second he sees Jared lose confidence. And now it's just been way too long. The time just keeps passing damnit, Richard eyeing the scene with trepidation and no small amount of disbelief.

"Oh Richard, please don't feel obligated to--"  
"Yeah, of course I'll join you for--"  
They say at the same time.

Richard laughs nervously amid the tension and decides to just take a seat in front of one of the settings Jared has meticulously arranged. He says, "Wow, how did you know I didn't eat with Gavin Belson?"

Jared brings a baking dish over to the table and sets it on a folded hand towel, uncovering a seemingly homemade lasagna. Richard hadn't realized how long it had been since he had real, non-garbage person food. The last few days, even weeks, had been punishing in a do-or-die turned self-hatred way. His mom used to make lasagna whenever he had a stressful time at school, making it a mainstay in the Hendricks household. Just the sight of it tightened Richard's chest, when suddenly he realized Jared was sitting next to him, looking patient but expectant.

"Oh man sorry, what? I kinda got lost in there," he says, huffing out a laugh and pointing to the general direction of his head.

"Oh Richard it's okay," Jared replies, sitting next to Richard. "I was just saying when you laid it out for us it didn't sound like you would be meeting him long." He's quiet for a moment, thoughtful. "And well, buddy, we've had a bit of a trying week. And I thought it would be nice. For us. To just be us."

Richard's stomach does a weird thing. On one hand, he feels a wave of calm at the permission to not be on guard. He walked away from the weird expensive Mexican food Gavin Belson meeting ready to come home and head straight to bed, with maybe cereal for dinner. He wanted to avoid questions- he had done a lot of fucked up things all week in sheer desperation. Facing everyone, even if they were all cool, still felt like a huge damn chore.

On the other hand, how on earth did Jared know? The lasagna, his hunger, his guilt, his elation that everything worked itself out in the most fucked up way imaginable.

Richard once again has been quiet for too long, lost at sea in his own thoughts. "Um, thank you, Jared, it looks incredible."

Jared flushes a little at this, saying "It really is nothing. I had to learn how to cook once my foster parents left me and my siblings in a basement after a tornado warning and didn't come back for us." He dishes out the lasagna placidly. "The authorities located us only after neighboring dogs started becoming allured by the scent of my cooking!"

"Thats uh," Richard began, "That's horrifying, actually. Wait, basements have kitchens?"

"It's relatively rare because of the poor ventilation, but they were cooking up something in there!" Jared laughs, then looks concerned. "Oh. It just occurred to me that it was likely methamphetamines. But they did keep the pantry well stocked!"

Richard doesn't know how to reply so he just smiles somewhat blandly, and starts in on his lasagna. He tears at a piece of the bread as well, realizing between chews that he really is pretty ravenous. 

"Jared, thank you. For this. And for, well, not slamming the door in my face. Even though you were pretty busy, ha, right? Guy who fucks?" Richard says, once his hunger has been satisfied and he's eating just to enjoy the flavor.

Jared again smiles warmly at Richard, seeming to slow down himself. "We've come a long way. I don't think I need to get into how much it hurt to see you abandon your moral compass. I believed in you, and it is always hard to have to let go of your hopes."

"I'm so sorry it--"

"But this was the first time in my entire life that someone fought to keep me in theirs. I always knew you were special, Richard Hendricks. But I never thought I'd know what that feels like," Jared concludes quietly, lacing his fingers together and holding them in his lap. He stares down at his now-empty plate, attempting to master his emotions. 

Richard reaches out, almost unaware he's doing so. He rests his hand on Jared's forearm, meaning to just give a small gesture of solidarity. But Jared turns his arm over, and grasps Richard's. They both look up, shy and ashamed- Jared, at his inability to keep his emotions from Richard, and Richard, at his recklessness. Richard leans across his chair and grasps Jared's other arm, mirroring the first. It's weird, but isn't everything weird? Always? Didn't Jared just casually mention his foster parents having a meth lab?

Somehow their foreheads meet in the middle, sad eyes drifting closed. Richard has been rubbing small circles of apology on Jared's forearms with his thumbs, and Jared's shuddering breath speeds up. Jared reaches one shaky hand up to Richard's face, tracing cool, slender fingers around the edges of his blackened eye to his neck. He cups the side, starting to tug ever so gently, then-

The lights turn on, and they split apart as if burned.

"Holy shit," Gilfoyle says, standing in the doorway with Dinesh.

"Jared, you motherfucker you said nine o'clock," Dinesh whines. "We would not have come back if you two were finally fucki-"

Richard stands up abruptly saying "Guys! We were just making out. Up. We made up. Now we can get back to normal, kay? After all that crazy fucked up shit, we can just-" He glances over at Jared, who looks slightly mournful under his schooled features. "We can just get back to work."

"Yeah, fuck that. I'm playing Battlefield." Gilfoyle says, turning and walking toward the living room.

"Yeah Jared made us go to a coffee shop for three hours, what the hell else do you think we did except work? Stupid assholes," Dinesh says, shaking his head and exiting after Gilfoyle.

Jared and Richard sit and stand respectively, staring into the space where Dinesh and Gilfoyle stood.

"I- should- probably go get some sleep, I'm pretty out of it. I think I've slept like, four hours in the past seventy-two?" Richard says, breathing out a laugh and crossing to the drawer that has the aluminum foil. He starts struggling to take it out from where it's wedged and suddenly Jared is there, taking it from him easily.

"Sleep," he says, pointing the box of aluminum foil at him, "I'll take care of the cleanup."

"No, Jared, you made it all and--"

"I did it for you. You don't owe me anything at all, Richard Hendricks." he says, giving him a smile.

"You sure, man?" Richard asks, feeling his exhaustion settle in.

"Of course," Jared says, fitting the foil over the leftovers. Richard stands and kinda sways in indecision here and there for a moment, but then heads out of the kitchen. He stops in the doorway though, and turns back to Jared. Jared looks wistful and slightly broken, quietly stacking the plates to the soundtrack of Dinesh and Gilfoyle having a pissing contest over their game. He decides he doesn't like that facial expression, and crosses back into the kitchen determinedly. 

"Richard, do you need something? I--"

He stops short, when Richard's arms wrap tight round his waist. He buries his face in Jared's neck and just breathes in all the wonderfully clean scents that make him up. He feels long arms wrap around his shoulders, and then a tentative hand travels up and down his spine. Richard squeezes a little tighter.

"Thank you, Jared. You mean, well, you mean a lot to me." Richard says softly. "Thank you for everything."

At this, Jared just rests his cheek to the top of Richard's head, closing his eyes. They stand with their arms wrapped around each other for several breaths, until Jared finally disentangles them. 

"Sleep well, my captain."

Jared attempts his usual sunny smile, but his voice is deeper than usual and his pupils are fully blown- it actually approaches seductive. Heat pools in Richard's stomach as he feels his own flush creep down his neck. Shit. He knows they have to be on the same page here. With one more sheepish smile, Richard finally retreats, this time not looking back.


End file.
